Can I JUST replace the tank?

Lantley wrote:

dougrainer wrote:
Atwood water heater tanks are constructed of a high strength aluminum.
The interior of the tank consists of a .0015 thickness of type 7072
aluminum (pure aluminum and zinc) that is fused to the core during the
rolling process. This material protects the tanks from the effects of heavy
metals and salts found in waters throughout the country. It is anodic to
these heavy metals and acts much like an anode in a steel glass lined
tank except it will last much longer. Aftermarket Anode Rods are not
required and should not be used and will void warranty

I'm curious, As an RV tech what is your take on replacing just the tank and swapping in the controls vs. replacing the entire unit?

Doing the work yourself, I would replace the Inner tank. Paying someone else, it is NOT cost efficient to replace the inner tank. One exception is the EXT series Atwood. The mixing valve adds a lot of cost to the replacement water heater that would not have by just replacing the tank. 10 years old. IF mine I would replace the complete water Heater if NOT an EXT. BUT, since the original problem appears Calcium/mineral failure related, the most common cause of failure on an EXT is a Failed Mixing valve caused by those Mineral deposits clogging the valve and preventing correct Hot and Cold mixture, usually NO hot water at all. BTW, 30 years ago I replaced a Atwood less than 1 year old due to corrosion from Minerals. The customer spent 8 months in the Rio Grand Valley and the CG water was very high in minerals and such. Doug